Bob Fretwell of Old South Country Club defeated Mike Wynne of Hunt Valley GC, 6 and 5, yesterday to highlight action in the first round of the annual match play championship of the Middle Atlantic PGA at Rolling Road GC.
Not only did Fretwell post the widest margin of victory among 16 matches, it also was the day's biggest upset. This was a pairing of the highest seed to see action (Wynne at No. 17) and the field's last seed (Fretwell at No. 48), with seedings based on the organization's current money list.
The top 16 seeds, headed by No. 1 Jack Skilling of Columbia CC, drew first-round byes and will be in action this morning against the first-round winners. Double rounds today and tomorrow will reduce the field to two finalists for a scheduled 36-hole match Thursday.
Bruce Lehnhard, from Lake of the Woods GC in Locust Grove, Va., last year's winner at Woodmont CC, is not defending his title, as he is at the Senior PGA Tour qualifying school.
First round
Jack Skilling, bye; Joe Cook def. Billy Bassler Jr., 2 and 1; Dennis Dougherty, bye; Bob Fretwell def. Mike Wynne, 6 and 5; Mark Spolarich, bye; Jimmy Hayes def. Bob Dolan, 19 holes; John McNaney, bye; Greg Long def. Kent Sasher, 1 up; Jon Stanley, bye; Steve Bosdosh def. Greg Jones, 5 and 4; Rob Ferguson, bye; Tom Gross def. Ned Spearbeck, 6 and 4; Brian Lehnhard, bye; Glenn McCloskey def. Pat Owen, 22 holes; Ricky Touma, bye; Frank Ferguson def. John Huber, 1 up.